20 Something Reading List For Living Your Best Life

I’m big on reading books – and by reading I mean listening because I get easily distracted. I’ve found that audio books are my jam and get the book finished rather than letting it sit untouched, on my digital book shelf.

Why do I like to read you ask? Not because I think something is wrong with me, or because I need to be “fixed.” Because I’ve genuinely felt my life elevate with each book I cram into my brain. In my short time on this planet I’ve only had time for so many experiences, but a book allows me to experience entire lifetimes. Seeing the world through someone else’s perspective allows you to better form and strengthen your own beliefs and understanding.

Why do I Believe So Strongly In “Self-Help” & Personal Development?

People have literally dissected the sh*t that went wrong in their life and developed solutions that allowed them to overcome and live better lives… THEN went through the effort of putting it into a book so you could read it and hopefully avoid making the same mistakes.

Taking advantage of that sounds like common sense to me. I thrive on understanding my emotions, understanding the way my brain functions, understanding the psychology of why I react and do the things I do and exploring ways to live my best life.

WHY? Because I don’t want to live my life on autopilot, I want to get to the end of my life and say I didn’t just let life happen to me, I CHOSE how I existed in the world.

I decided to compile a list of books that have impacted me. Instead of doing a synopsis or summary, which you can easily look up online, I decided to categorize them by the scenario in my life that I most needed them.

When you’re sick of being anxious af all the time:

When you just need a little Oprah in your life:

What I Know For Sure, by Oprah Winfrey – “There is one irrefutable law of the universe: We are each responsible for our own life. If you’re holding anyone else accountable for your happiness, you’re wasting your time. You must be fearless enough to give yourself the love you didn’t receive.”

When you want to better understand how to love and be loved:

The 5 Love Languages Singles Edition, by Gary Chapman – “Much of the pain in broken relationships in our world stems from the truth that many of us in Western culture have never been serious students of love. We haven’t really taken it seriously enough to learn how it actually works.”

When You’re impatient AF and ready to give up:

The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy – “It’s not the big things that add up in the end; it’s the hundreds, thousands, or millions of little things that separate the ordinary from the extraordinary.”

When you’re sick of struggling to get where you want to go:

The Power of Intention, by Wayne Dyer – “When you’re connected to the power of intention, everywhere you go, and everyone you meet, is affected by you and the energy you radiate. As you become the power of intention, you’ll see your dreams being fulfilled almost magically, and you’ll see yourself creating huge ripples in the energy fields of others by your presence and nothing more.”

When you’re spiritual, but not religious, but still curious af about what the eff is going on here:

Conversations With God, by Neale Donald Walsch – “Your soul doesn’t care what you do for a living – and when your life is over, neither will you. Your soul cares only about what you are being while you are doing whatever you are doing. ”

When You’re So over self-help books:

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck, by Mark Manson – “You and everyone you know are going to be dead soon. And in the short amount of time between here and there, you have a limited amount of fucks to give. Very few, in fact. And if you go around giving a fuck about everything and everyone without conscious thought or choice—well, then you’re going to get fucked.”